Mariners' Colt Emerson and Cole Young might already be MLB's best double play combo

In 2025, Colt Emerson and Cole Young were the Mariners' No. 1 and No. 3 prospects respectively. They weren't just the future of the team's infield, they seemed like two of the best prospects in the organization's recent history. Aside from boasting excellent skill sets, both players were poised to fill upcoming roster gaps for Seattle. Second base had been a revolving door for quite some time and longtime shortstop J.P. Crawford is scheduled to hit free agency after the 2026 season.

Expectations were high for Emerson and Young and although the latter had mixed results in his rookie season, his sophomore campaign has shown significant improvement. Emerson has also posted numbers strong enough to take over as the team's starting shortstop, and deservedly so. Their production as individuals has already been impressive but together, they've transformed Seattle's middle infield into one of the best in the business.

Cole Young and Colt Emerson have made for a dynamic defensive duo this season

Young's hitting has improved, going from an 80 wRC+ in 2025 to a 98 wRC+ in 2026, but his biggest step forward has been defensively. He already has 12 more Defensive Runs Saved than he did last year over a similar sample of innings. His current mark of 11 DRS leads all qualified second basemen.

Emerson has spent slightly more time playing third base, where he graded out slightly below average defensively but he has been solid since moving to shortstop, his more natural position. Moving forward, it seems like he'll be sticking with the role for the rest of the year after J.P. Crawford's recent IL stint acted as the perfect catalyst for a transition.

For now, with just over 100 innings under his belt, defensive metrics like DRS and OAA can't paint as clear of a picture but based on his pedigree and what he has done at the big league level, he'll continue to be a defensive asset for Seattle.

The front office already declared their commitment to Emerson before he even suited up for the Mariners, signing him to an eight-year, $95 million contract, so it should come as no surprise that he has the goods to be a crucial part of the team for a long time. There hasn't been any buzz about Cole Young receiving a similar offer from the front office but even so, he'll be under club control for quite some time, giving fans the privilege of watching these two work together for the foreseeable future.

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